Conversation Rich Environment

Research from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln ( The Nature of Teacher Talk during Small Group Activities, Julie Rainer Dangel and Tonia Renee Durden) shows that children who spend their time in conversation rich environments become better thinkers, readers, and writers than their peers. How can we use this research to create better practices? Note the term “conversation rich”. How does that differ from the environment in our schools? How do we help parents to see the connection between conversation and cognitive development?